Staehle is influenced by the look and feel of Victorian design, and explores the marriage of Victorian elegance with macabre humor. He is inspired by old fairytales and poems whose meanings and origins are far less innocent than they appear at first glance. He is also attracted to silhouettes, which are common in Victorian art. However, traditionally, silhouettes are black, to imply shadows. Staehle often reverses these silhouettes, making them light instead of dark, thus making them “blank slates” where one can imprint their own meanings onto the forms. In this way, the mere shape of a person gesturing does not always reveal the truth of what is happening.

Pretty awesome, right?

The Hibbleton Gallery is located at
112 West Wilshire Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92832